UNITING THE THREE POWERS
by Black Dragon1
Summary: In wake of a new force plunging the three powers of Sony, Nintendo, and Sega into darkness, alliances must be formed to confront this new threat. *Update* Episodes 4 and 5 finally up.
1. Unexpected Downfall

Unexpected Downfall

"Yo Robuttnick!" yells Sonic, holding the head of the madman's latest Swat Bot. Tossing the head aside, Sonic looks into the monitor. "I'm waiting," he says tapping his foot in annoyance. 

Within the safety of the infrastructure, Robotnik stares into the monitor with disdain. Looking over at his shoulder, a chill runs down his spine as he gazes into the cobalt eyes of his new employer. Ever since the mysterious man had arrived on Mobius, Robotnik could tell he had motives other than ridding the planet of their resident spiky blue hero. 

"Let's not keep our company waiting," Robotnik says to his new boss. Nodding, the mysterioius entity points his finger in the direction of the monitor. In the distance, the sound of metal footsteps reverberates throughout the fortress. The footsteps get louder, then quiet as they reach the foyer. 

Sonic watches as the door slides open and reveals the dimly illuminated corridor. Entering, Sonic notices his footsteps echo lightly throughout the hallway. The door slowly closes behind him, cutting off the little source of light available to him. Suddenly, the familiar red glow of mechanical eyes appears in the distance. Before Sonic can blink, the red glow is inches from his face. _Only one thing is that fast, but he's dead_. Sensing danger, he back hand springs away, just avoiding a punch or kick. Before he can fully recover, something metal strikes him in the stomach, forcing the air from his lungs for a few seconds. Staggering backwards, Sonic concentrates and initiates a quick spin dash that catches his adversary off guard. The sound of metal scraping against metal sends a shiver through Sonic's nerves as he watches the sparks shoot from the ground. Sonic quickly executes a buzz saw attack and slices through the door. Backing away from the fortress, he allows his eyes to readjust to the afternoon sun. Hearing the sound of metal footsteps, Sonic prepares to see the face of his adversary. What he sees gives him more than a little shock. 

"Hyper Metal Sonic!" he exclaims, jumping back a few inches. The new and improved Metal has a more life like quality to him and except for the red glowing eyes, could pass for Sonic. He bares his perfect porcelain teeth in a sinister smile. "So, you finally learned to smile. This should be fun." He strikes a fighting pose as Metal slides his left foot forward. The two speedsters suddenly blur from view. Several yards away, two blue blurs collide into one another, sending dust clouds spiraling around them. After the last of the three more collisions, Sonic is sent flying one way and Metal the other. Sonic catches himself and slides a few more feet until he places his hands down. Metal performs a similar act, except he claws at the soil. As the smoke from Sonic's shoes begins to dissipate. Metal folds his arms over his chest and chuckles. 

"So Sonic, ready for another go?" He's much stronger than last time, Sonic thinks, wiping the trickle of blood from his lips. I need to know the full extent of his strength before I go Hyper. Without hesitation, he dashes towards his doppleganger. Moments before he throws a punch, he fades away, only to appear behind Metal. Burying his elbow into Metal's titanium alloyed back, he drop kicks him in the legs as he stumbles forward. Leaping high into the air, Sonic attempts to deliver a two footed stomp. At the last moment, Metal fades away. Sonic's impact dents the ground a few inches and displaces enough dust to form a small cloud. Before his knees can finish absorbing the shock, Metal is upon him, throwing rapid fire punches. Sonic uses his forearms to ward off the blows. The titanium fist send small shockwaves of pain through his arms and into his spine. Blurring away, Sonic avoids the next punch and interlocks his fists. Blurring away again, he slams his hands down as hard as he can. Metal crashes into the ground with enough force that he crashes several feet deep into the ground. Rebounding quickly, Metal launches himself into the air and shoulder rams Sonic in the stomach. Sonic slams his elbow down on the small area of Metal's head devoid of spikes. Sonic rolls onto his hands and knees and finally attempts to catch his breath. Don't know how much more of this I can take. Metal pushes himself back to a standing position and eyes Sonic, who rubs his bruised ribs. 

"If that's all you've got, then you may as well surrender." 

"Don't worry about me, I'm saving the best for last."  


Tails hums a tune as he makes the final repairs to their little plane. The plane had seen much better days and with the upgrades Tails had received from the old man, it would be better than new. Sonya, Sonic's long-lost sister, sits a few feet away from him and watches the gentle waves splash against the shore. Sighing,, she walks over to him and sits down. After a few moments, she pokes the young fox in his belly. 

Giggling, Tails slides from underneathe the plane. "What do you want Sonya?" 

"I want you to stop working and take me shopping for Sonic's gift." 

"I almost forgot about that," he responds, sitting up and placing the wrench back in his tool box. Standing up, he dusts off his fur and looks at her. "Shall we go, Miss Sonya?" 

"But of course," she says smiling, allowing him to pick her up. Spinning his twin tails in a similar fashion as a helicopter, he lifts off and rockets away from the island.  


A few minutes later, Tails and Sonya touch down just outside of GreenGlades Shopping Center. Before Tails can ask where Sonya wants to begin, a group of teenagers of all species mobs him for his autograph. Sonya tells him to tend to his fans and she will find Sonic a gift. Just as she turns to leave, a red blur flies past her. Following the blur, she discovers it is the body of Knuckles. 

The red pigmented echidna strains his muscles to pull himself away from the wall he is now imbedded in. _What could have done that to Knuckles_, she wonders. Her answer comes in the form of another red blur shooting past her. Hovering in front of Knuckles is Knuckles. "What the hell?" she asks in confusion. 

"Sonya! Get out of here. This guy is even stronger than Hyper Metal Sonic." As he says this, the pointed glove of his double scrapes across his jaw. Tails, seeing the blood fly from his friend's mouth, flies feet first into the doppleganger. The force of the two send them through the wall and into a clothing store. 

Shaking the cobwebs from his head, Tails attempts to locate Metal Knuckles. Suddenly, he is sent sprawling into a clothing rack. Metal Knuckles snickers as he lifts the check out counter from the floor and hurls it in Tails direction. Tails flies out of the way, but is sent crashing down through the counter after Knuckles kicks him down. The real Knuckles glides in and delivers a punch that sends Metal Knuckles into the next store. 

"We could use Sonic's help about now," Knuckles remarks, pulling the teen-age fox from the debris. "Where is he anyway?" 

"I don't know, I'll try to contact him." He finds the proper channel on his mini-communicator and contacts Sonic.  


Sonic and Metal lock hands and stare eye to eye. Metal's hands begin bitting into Sonic's flesh and Sonic back somersault kicks him away. Just then, his mini-com begins beeping. 

"Not now Tails, I'm a little busy." 

"But Sonic," he whines, then resumes a more serious tone "we got a situation with Metal Knuckles down here in GreenGlades." 

"Shit," Sonic curses softly, quickly regretting hitting Metal with his knuckles. "I'll be there as soon as possible. Sonic out." Sonic begins running top speed, burning up the ground beneath him. Metal pursues him across miles of land and bodies of water, not knowing where his opponent is leading him and not caring in the least.  


In less time than it took Tails, the two Sonics arrive in GreenGlades. Simultaneously, the clouds of dust concealing them disperse. 

"Oh great," Knuckle comments, as he blocks a punch from Metal Knuckles. "I suppose today was twins' day. Why don't people ever tell me these things." He delivers a well placed hook kick to his double's ribs and sends him flying back a few feet. Dropping out of the sky, Knuckles begins to pant. 

"Knuckles, Tails, get over here now!" Sonic yells. Engrossed in the aerial exchange between Metal Knuckles and Tails, Metal Sonic is caught off guard and knocked back several feet by a blue and red blur striking him in the legs and head. "It's time,." Sonic says, he and Knuckles somersaulting out of their spin dashes. Tails lands next to them and Metal Knuckles lands next to Metal Sonic. The two artificial animals watch as the trio form a triangle. "On my mark. Go!" 

"Hyper Knuckles!" Knuckles yells. 

"Hyper Tails!" the young fox exclaims. 

"Super Hyper Sonic!" the blue hedgehog screams. A gold aura encases each of the three planetary defenders and the two doubles are intrigued as to what is happening. Suddenly, Metal Knuckles' sensors detect a huge increase in power. The sudden power fluctuation throws them off balance. The fur of all three warriors turns gold. Sonic's spikes extend furthur away from his body. Electricity crackles around the three of them. 

"Let's do this!" Knuckle yells and all three disappear. 

Before Metal Sonic's sensors can determine where Sonic is, a huge hole appears in his mid section. Clutching at it, he watches as Sonic suddenly appears before his eyes with a sinister smile on his face. Sonic disappears and suddenly his sensors pick up the familiar hum of a buzz saw. Before he can react, his body is cut in half. Metal Knuckles sees this and attempts to understand their sudden increase in power, strength and speed. His thoughts would go unanswered as the combined power of Tails and Knuckles kicking his head shatters it beyond repair. The gold aura's subside and the three return to their normal colors. Suddenly, Sonic clutches at his chest and falls down face first onto the sidewalk. 

"Sonic!" yells all three of his companions. Sonya examines her brother and finds a weak pulse. 

"We have to get him to a hospital now!" Sonya orders. Without hesitation, Tails cradles his fallen mentor's body in his arms and flies quicker than he ever has. In moments, doctors are attending to Sonic as Sonya and Knuckles arrive. Sonya begins signing paper work and Knuckles joins them in the E.R. 

"His condition is stable for the time being, but it will only worsen with time." The amphibious Dr. Toad double checks his charts. "Some sort of parasite is feeding off him. It's been dormant for some time. Perhaps days, even months. When he increased his powers, the parasite began feeding on him. It's only a matter of time before it devours him. Look at this." He points to the white blotches on the bio scanner's monitor. "Surgery is out of the question because the parasite has imbedded itself in his heart. I'm not completely sure, but I believe these white splotches are spawns of the parasite. We would also have to replace all of his internal organs and we can't do that." 

Knuckles leans against the door frame and watches as his one time enemy and current best friend slowly dies before him. Tails walks over to the bed and leans over the most important person in his life. His mentor, surrogate father, brother, and more importantly, best friend. Holding his hand, he can feel how cold his body is growing. 

"Damn it!" Knuckles yells, punching a hole through the wall. "I refuse to watch him die like this. Is there anything we can do?" He watches as the short plump toad runs his finger along the spines of several books. Retrieving a particularly thick book, he walks back over to them. 

"There may be a way," the doctor interjects, placing the large book on the bedside table. Flipping through the pages he finds what he is looking for. "The power from this star can safely destroy the parasite, but the problem is finding one." 

"Hold up," Tails says, looking closely at the star. "I've seen that before. In the Nintendo Galaxy, one of the planets grows these things and uses them for quick bursts of invincibility." 

"The Nintendo system, eh." Knuckles scratches his head. "I haven't been there in about ten years, ever since that little Sony fiasco. So doc, if we get this star, we can save Sonic?" 

"Yes, but..." 

"That's all we need to know. Come on Tails, we're going to see the old man." Tails nods and follows the crimson fighter. 

As they enter the waiting room, Knuckles tells Sonya to stay with Sonic and they would be back in no more than three days. 

"Good luck," she tells them as the two of them fly off into the distance. "Please come back safely."  
  


END OF EPISODE ONE 

PREVIEW OF NEXT EPISODE 

A mysterious fighter trains his body to the breaking point to aid against the evil behind Sonic's downfall. Meanwhile, Samus takes up the fight once more to understand why she is concerned about Sonic. 


	2. The X Factor

The X-Factor

Sweat pours down his face, soaking his undershirt. Still, he increases the speed of his dash, exceeding speeds unheard of save for the legendary "Guardians of Mobius." Attuning his senses and maintaining his focus, he avoids the pitfalls and traps presenting themselves at every turn within the confines of the training module. Despite the pain slowly creeping into his pleading lungs, he surges forward, leaping, bounding, and sidestepping the myriad of obstructions before him.  


Samus, devoid of clothing of any sort, stares at her face upon the reflective surface of her bath water. Her mind wanders, as it does anytime she is not clad in her armor hunting down the most elusive and most profitable bounties that as of late were growing scarce. Stepping into the steaming water, she lowers herself slowly, allowing the soothing steam to permeate her pores and relax the tightness within her muscles. Dark hair, courtesy of an exceptional dye job by one of her assistants, drapes her shoulders lifelessly as she recalls her vision. 

Never caring much for the Sega System, as she rarely found bounties worth her talent or time, her vision of an ailing Sonic had disturbed her. She had met the young hero some time ago during one of those rare calls to the Sega System. Being as that she lived by the code of a Galactic Bounty Hunter, she remained neutral to the affairs of the hiring body or the target. Far from lacking an innate sense of justice, she nonetheless pursued him mercilessly across the planet. His speed was something of legend. Blurring by with such speed that even her scanners were fooled when he seemingly split into six, she finally relented, deeming him the one bounty she would not catch unless she rededicated herself to training. 

The fact that Sonic was in great pain was not what had disturbed her. The fact that she felt herself hurt by this truly unnerved her. She barely knew him outside of the intel she had gathered on him. To her knowledge, only one other evoked any emotion other than passive indifference. That of her secret love, Ness. 

Visualizing her thoughts as steam, she allows them to mingle with the steam of her bath water and dissipate along with them. Sighing, she attempts to relax and reconciles to find what elicited those feeling at a later time.  


"Come now my child, are you not hungry?" inquires the low rumbling bass of James Lyions. 

Looking up from his training, as he was in mid sit up, the one simply known as Shadow acknowledges the query with a curious look, as if he misunderstood what the elder man had said. 

"Time for a short respite. All training and no rest is just as destructive to our cause as not training at all." 

Releasing the contraction of what is his last repetition, he lies back and effortlessly flips back to his feet. Twisting his trunk twice to each side, he follows behind his tutor and mentor.  


Samus leans against the wall in her bedroom. Draped in a knee length red robe, bound to her tightly with a crimson silk sash, she exudes the feminism that few have or ever would be privileged to see. Meticulously laid out on her bed is her armor, the various attachments for her blaster, and finally the helmet she concealed her face behind. Far from being a cover girl, her facial features were nothing to scoff at. Normalcy dominated her face. A slightly crooked nose, an almost undetectable over bite and a scar on her right cheek could easily be repaired surgically. Her assets, although not as large as they had been in her heyday, still were sufficient to hire the top surgeon on any number of planets. And even if monetary problems arise, who in their right mind - meaning they enjoyed and desired to continue breathing - would deny her. But as she rarely shared her face with the public and the man she loved saw past these small blemishes on an otherwise picture perfect face, never gave that option a second thought. 

_Well,_ she comments to herself, _Time to uncover some details_. Grabbing the helmet, she slides it over her face. The Hunter was returning to the hunting grounds.  


The mysterious, anonymous cobalt figure reviews his data files. Currently, several renowned personalities are under his employ. Resting comfortably atop the list are Robotnik, Lady M (a reincarnation of Mother Brain), Bowser, Gannon, and Dark Falcon. These agents seem to fit his desires perfectly for the time being. Looking over the expansive holographic image detailing every nuance of his current target, he laughs, something that he does rarely.  


Shadow, having consumed enough food to sustain him for the next few hours, meditates beneath the ancient tree several feet from the house's main entrance. Twisted by savage gales, immolated by lightning, the tree still stood, its very existence attesting to nature's ability to survive. His breathing and pulse have slowed to such a degree, an untrained passer by would believe he was near death. And that person would not be too far from the truth. Part of learning the "Black Inferno" energy manipulation style and not the toned down version known as "Dark Flame," forced the pupil to near death in order to obtain the purest of fighting instincts - the battle to survive overwhelming odds. Tendrils of energy begin to emanate from his body, snaking out in six or seven directions in wavy, worm like strands, visible to anyone around, but felt only by those attuned to such phenomenon. In his master's words, "Having no allegiance to Three Powers does not permit us to stand by and do nothing for their plight." And thus, the lone warrior continues, despite the protests of his mind and body, both near the breaking point.  


The ten or so story high light fixture blinks from red to green, signaling to the pilot of the small craft that it has clearance. Easing into the jump to sub light speed in order to escape the severe gravity, Samus calculates her course and initiates the routine. Gaining speed once she has escaped the launch site, she eases into a cruise speed of a few parsecs an hour, she folds her arms over her chest and readies for this, her most important hunt.  


Residing in his war room, requiring no sleep, no sustenance, the malevolent newcomer continues to assess the current situations befalling his targets within the three expansive solar systems. Sonic, crippled and helpless. Link, apparently turned coward after his run in with the shadowy fighters under his employ. Captain Falcon, clinging to the fragile hope that the people of his world will rally behind him. So many others who fates, though intertwined with these, are still to be determined at the whim of their unknown puppeteer. Like the marionettes he sees them as, they are unaware of the strings being pulled to dictate their actions. 

"Only fitting that the next to fall be those miserable plumbers." The holographic map of the Mushroom Kingdom outlines the Mario Brothers location in red. "Go, and do your worse." 

Upon the directive laid down to them from their lord, the shadow lords, as they had become to be known as melt away and disappear from his sight. 

"Everything is proceeding as planned." Had he lips, the dark figure would smile as his plans for galactic domination were unrolling smoothly.  


End of Episode Two 

Preview of the Next Episode: Knuckles and Tails head towards the Nintendo System in hope of finding the cure for Sonic's ailment. Once there, they, Mario,and Ness encounter a new enemy and someone linked to their past. Meanwhile, Luigi battles an unknown foe that cripples him and let's him in on a little secret. 


	3. Unexpected Confrontations

Unexpected Confrontations

  


Luigi snaps his neck away, feeling the heat from a fireball too close to his face. Back sommersaulting away, he avoids another. Smiling, Mario leaps into the air after him. Landing on a ledge, Luigi fires off two of his own, forcing Mario to twist his body away from them. Spying the opening he had been looking for, Luigi races forward and hits Mario with a jumping upper cut, sending him flying in the opposite direction. Mario sommersaults out of it and lands in a squatting position. Looking up, he watches as Luigi taunts him. 

"Player One Defeated," calls out a computerized voice. Soon, the room dims and a low hum signifies that the simulation is ending. 

"I guess I'm buying, again," Mario comments, as Luigi sommersaults down to his level. 

"Let's hit the pizza buffet then," he tells him, throwing his arm around his brother's shoulders. Both men are naked save for a pair of spandex shorts. The two exit the room. Several years ago, after the final defeat of Koopa, and the first Smash Brother's Tournament, Ness had developed this special training room to keep their bodies in shape. It definitely came in handy during the attack on the Mushroom Kingdom by a powerful alien known simply as Omni. The two men, especially now, bear only small similarities to their video game counterparts. Unlike their counterparts, each of the men possess physiques that would make any athlete jealous. Their physical strength is unparalleled on their planet and the two of them actual have distinguishing personalities and appearances. Luigi is clean shaven and his hair is slightly longer than his older brother, who opted to keep his trademark whiskers. 

Mario comments on inviting Ness as they pass the princess's room. Noticing a crack in her door, Luigi takes a peak then stops. Taking his arm from Mario's shoulder, he stares wide eyed at the beautiful monarch clad only in a towel. Mario scratches his head and decides to take a peak as well. His reaction is very similiar to that of his brother's. 

Oblivious to the two men watching her, she passes the comb through her lengthy blonde hair. A soft rock tune plays in the background. The faint scent of her perfume reaches Luigi's nose and he motions for Mario to leave. Mario smiles and heads towards Ness's lab. _Ah, to be in love,_ he tells himself. 

After a few more moments of watching, he stretches his arms and pops his joints. Taking a deep breath, he enters her sanctuary. 

"You look beautiful," he tells her from the doorway. Looking up, Daisy smiles. 

"Thank you. Come sit with me." She pats the bed next to her. He sits down next to her. She places her head on his shoulder. "Weegie," addressing him by the nickname he had acquired when they discovered he could rap, "will you stay here with me tonight?' 

"You don't need to ask me twice." She sighs and Luigi lifts her chin up so that her eyes are level with his. 

"I just want you to know that being in love with you is the best feeling I've ever known." _She's getting all emotional again,_ Luigi thinks to himself. 

"What's wrong?" he asks her, sensing something wrong. Having spent so much time with her in recent months, he could tell something was amiss. 

"I don't know," she tells him, leaning forward, "I sense some kind of imbalance that may adversely affect our world.. So I'll feel much better if you stayed in my room tonight." She presses her lips to his and then slips her tongue into his mouth as if using them to illustrate her plea. Luigi begins caressing her thigh and wraps his arm around her waist. Leaning forward as she leans back, Luigi removes her towel and begins kissing her neck. Daisy moans softly as the last wonderments of her uneasiness disappear in a blissful haze.  


Mario and Ness wait outside in the customized van that they purchased with the winnings from the third Smash Brothers Tournament. The tournaments had become wildly popular, and plans for the sixth extravaganza were already being mapped out. Both are dressed casually, Mario in a red t-shirt with black jeans and mid top sneakers, and Ness dressed similarly with a white T-shirt instead. 

"What's taking him so long?" the seventeen year old genius inquires, starting small fires with his psycho kinetic powers in the field. Ness causes the fires to circle one another, then disappear completely. Leaning back in the driver's seat, Mario looks out the window as Luigi, now wearing a green t-shirt and similar lower body attire, kisses the Princess good bye. She is now wearing a long t-shirt. 

"It's about time," Mario calls out, as Luigi jogs over to the van and takes a seat in the back. Daisy waves to them and reenters the castle after they pull off.  


"Tails, how much longer until we reach the Mushroom Kingdom?" Knuckles inquires as he enters the cockpit. Taking a seat next to the teen fox, he stares out into the recesses of space. 

"Another couple of hours," he replies without looking back. It has been nearly thirty four hours since Sonic fell victim to the sinister parasite that is attacking his body. After the old man modified a space craft, Tails and Knuckles embarked on their mission to retrieve the star that would save their friend. Space craft was an understatement. The massive expanse serving as their transportation resembled more space station that interplanetary transport. 

Neither speaks as the Mushroom Kingdom's Solar System appears on the monitor. Both are fully aware of what they need to do.  


Luigi finishes of the last slice to his fourth pizza as Mario does the same with his fifth. Ness watches in amazement as the Mario Brothers devour their meal. Ness himself is only on the first slice of his second pizza and is already beginning to feel full. 

"So what do you think bro?" inquires Luigi, starting on his fifth pizza. 

"Well, this place is notorious for strange happenings. Maybe Ness can do some kind of scan to find anything abnormal." He looks over at the young man as he washes the pizza down with a glass of fruit punch. 

"Sure, I'll get on that when I return to the lab." Mario downs his fruit punch and pulls out some coins. Tossing them on the table, he stands up. 

"Let's get going. I got first patrol and Latuki's taking me on that cloud of his." Luigi finishes off his drink and tosses a few coins on the table as well. 

"Ness, you and Mario go ahead. I'm gonna take a walk." 

"Okay," Ness responds, standing up as well. "We'll see you later then?" 

"Sure," Luigi says, turning to leave. "I'll be back in a few hours."  


"Is that it?" Knuckles asks, pointing at the dark spot on the scanning monitor. 

"Yep," Tails answers, buckling his seat belt. "Strap yourself in." Knuckles does as he says and soon the spacecraft is entering the atmosphere.  


Mario performs a series of one handed hand springs. Switching hands, he repeats with his left. After the last hand spring, he begins doing one handed push ups. 

"Mario!" yells Ness, rushing up to him. Pushing himself up, Mario lands on his feet and wipes the perspiration from his forehead with the back of his hand. 

"What's up?" he asks the frantic teen. 

"Check this out." He pulls out his pocket computer and shows him what he found. 

"A ship from the Sega system?" 

"Yes. It landed about five minutes ago in this area. But that's not all, there seems to be two other vessels nearby." Ness points to the circled area indicating the ship's position as well as the positions of the other two vessels. 

"Let's check out the Sega one first." Mario turns around and the two head for the van. 

"That won't be necessary," comes a voice from behind them. Turning around, they discover the origin of the voice. To their surprise, its Knuckles and Tails. 

"What brings you two here?" Mario asks, folding his arms across his chest. He has no quarrel with Tails, but Knuckles always made him uncomfortable. He flinches involuntarily at the memory of being raked across the jaw by his pointy fists several years ago. 

"Sonic's in trouble," Tails states bluntly. 

"What happened?" Mario inquires, dropping his arms to the side. 

"Some type of parasite is attacking him and we need one of your stars to heal him." 

"Sure, anything for an old friend. I'll just go get one from Toad." 

"Thanks, we really appreciate it," Tails says, looking more relieved then when he arrived. 

"Think nothing of it. We'll take care of this." Just as the words leave his mouth, a thin, but long ditch appears in front of them. Looking up, Knuckles spots four black blurs in the skies. 

"What the hell?" Knuckles yells, leaping away from the next blast. Tails can make out faint details in the four beings as they circle high above them. Diving toward the ground, the four heroes leap away as they impact with the ground, causing deep craters in the ground. 

"What are they?" Mario inquires, blocking the onslaught of punches one of the figures is throwing at him. 

"No idea," Knuckles answers, blurring behind the figure he is fighting and delivering a stiff front kick to its back. Tails and his figure fight high above the castle, exchanging blocked punches and kicks. 

"Think they could be from one of the other ships?" Mario ask, grabbing his opponent by the feet and swinging him into the distance. 

"P.K. Thunder!" yells Ness, launching his figure into the air and into the one Tails is fighting. "All indications point to yes." 

Tails lands to catch his breath as Mario sets his opponent on fire with an uppercut. Knuckles spin dashes and slams his opponent through a tree. The four heroes huddle up to one another as the figures stand back to their feet. 

"This is just great. Any suggestions?" Mario looks at the other three for answers. Their faces show they are just as open to suggestions as he is. An idea formulates in Knuckle's mind and he winks at Tails. Suddenly, Tails and Knuckles disappear from sight. Mario and Ness look around attempting to find their whereabouts. Suddenly, the four figures fall forward and the pair reappear. 

"Now, hit them with everything you've got!" Knuckles yells. 

Summoning up his full power, Ness's eyes begin glowing an intense white. "P.K. Fire!" he yells, surrounding the four figures in a wall of psycho kinetic flames. As this is going on, flames begin covering Mario's body. 

"Smash Ender!" he yells, calling upon the power of his special technique he perfected for the tournament. A fireball the size of a large boulder fires from his body. Upon impact, the figures dissolve into nothingness. The smoke clears and four dark spots mark where their opponents once stood. 

"That was tough," Mario, says, wiping the perspiration from his face. "Now let's get the star and try to figure out what just happened." Mario, Knuckles, and Tails turn to leave as Ness performs a bio scan. 

"Guys, they're not dead!" Ness yells, just as one of them kicks him in the face. Mario turns just in time to receive a right cross to the jaw that sends him sprawling backwards. 

"Oh great, that was my strongest attack. Now what?" Just then they hear a voice in the distance. 

"Get out of the way!" All four do as told. "I summon the powers of Shiva." Suddenly, the sky darkens and a beautiful blue skinned female appears in the sky. Blowing a kiss towards the four dark entities, they are suddenly encased in a block of ice. 

"What the hell?" Mario inquires, scratching his head. Suddenly his answer taps him on the shoulder. Turning around, he looks into the face of their rescuer. "Cloud?" he asks. 

"Zackary Strife, actually," the young man responds, sheathing what had to be Cloud's Ultima Sword. 

"So, you're Cloud and Aeris's kid," Knuckles says, walking over to them. "You favor your father a lot. Too bad, your mother was a lot cuter." Tails giggles and Zack runs his hand through his spiky blonde hair. 

"So you must be the third ship," Ness concludes. "Were you following them?" 

"Yep. They had just attacked my dad and I was following them and wound up here. But that's only four of them, where's their leader?" 

"No idea," Mario answers. "How much more dangerous is he than these four?" 

"About two times at least. Mario, are you the strongest here?" 

"Up until two weeks ago. Luigi surpassed me during a training session." 

"Then that's where the leader must be. Where is he?" 

"Ness?" Mario inquires. 

"Already on it." Ness attempts to connect telepathically to Luigi. "He's hurt, bad." 

"Zack, go to the castle and fill in the princess. Knuckles, you and I are going to get that star. Tails, you and Ness go get Weeg. Let's go!" The four do as told and are soon going in their separate directions.   


Luigi sits with his back against what was once a wall of concrete. Most of his bones are crushed, and blood oozes out of his mouth and nose. Blood trickles down his forehead and his left eye is sealed shut. "At least I'm better off than you," he tells his opponent. The dark figure lies lifeless next to the remnants of a tree. His entire lower body is burnt beyond recognition, courtesy of the Weegie Bomb. If Luigi is not mistaken, all of his bones, if it has any, are crushed. His head begins throbbing. _Must be Ness. I'm over here_. 

Tails touchdowns and Ness jumps off his back. "Damn," is all the young man can say at the sight of Luigi. "Is he dead?" 

"I hope so or I wasted a perfectly good afternoon," comes an unlikely response from the fallen plumber. Tails stands him up and finds that Luigi's legs are shattered. "Oooh, you're pretty, what's your name?" he inquires of the fox. 

"Let's get him back to the castle. The blood loss is probably affecting his perception. And let's take him back too. You can handle the load, right?" 

"Sure. Just put him on my right shoulder, I'll put Luigi on the left, and you climb back onto my back." 

After everyone is settled, Tails levitates from the ground and takes off at less than half his full speed. Although the trip only lasts a few minutes, it is considerably longer than the first. Awaiting them in the courtyard are Zack, Mario, and Knuckles. 

"Give him to me," Zack instructs. Tails hands the limp body off to him. Retrieving a gem from his gauntlet, he places it against Luigi's head. A bright light illuminates his entire body and Luigi begins to open his left eye. 

"Healing Materia," Mario remarks with a smile. 

"Never leave home without it," Zack retorts. Luigi stands and holds his head. 

"How do you feel bro?" 

"Like I have a hang-over without having had the pleasure of getting drunk first. Otherwise fine. We need to get some of those here." 

"I'm glad to see that you're okay," Daisy calls from the doorway. Luigi walks over to her. 

"You know it takes more than some horrifying new evil to take me out." He kisses her softly on the lips. 

"I told you I felt something wrong." 

"Never doubted you for a minute Princess." 

"Well, where do we go from here?" Knuckles asks and everyone turns their attention to Mario. Scratching his head, Mario sits down on one of the benches. 

"First thing first. We know Toad has left the planet." 

"We do?" Tails asks. 

"Yes, but he left a trunk of goodies for us. His message said he was off to help an old friend. I don't know who, but we can't worry about that now. Everyone but Ness and Princess are going into space with me. Ness, I need you to contact the Pokemon World and tell them to set up defense points along the entrance to our solar system. Princess I need you to get the word out that we may be attacked again. Everyone else, we'll go into space tomorrow morning. Our first stop is Mobius. After we heal Sonic, we're off to Zack's world and try to find any clues. So I suggest everyone get to bed now." 

They all nod and Daisy shows the guests to the guest rooms. The sun begins its nightly descent as the group breaks off to their quarters.   


Ness runs a final diagnostic on the creature Luigi fought and soon drifts off to sleep. Down the hall from him, Knuckles is performing one fingered push ups as Tails makes him self comfortable in one of the twin beds. Picking up a pillow, he hits Knuckles with it. 

"Go to sleep," he tells him, rolling over. Knuckles smiles as the young fox falls off to sleep. _Don't worry buddy, we're on our way_. 

Luigi lies naked in bed with the Princess, his arm wrapped securely around her waist. Kissing her on the back of her neck, his mind drifts off to what they will be doing in mere hours. Soon he too falls asleep. 

Zack stares at the ceiling as his thoughts drift towards his distant home. _Soon, father and mother, I will return and we will fight this new enemy together_. His thoughts on that subject are silenced as they are replaced by images of him taking satisfaction in relieving someone of their head. 

Mario stares into the bathroom window. _The headaches are getting worse_, he tells himself, swallowing the pain killer to dull the throbbing. A month ago, after a walk with Saundra, one of the few dark skinned mushroom people on the planet, he felt something similar to a mosquito bite. Being allergic to the insect that bit him, he simply assumed the head aches were linked to that. But now he is not so sure. _I'll worry about that tomorrow_, he says, walking out of the bathroom and into his room. He soon joins his team in slumber and awaits tomorrow.  


The sun peaks its luminesce glow over the horizon as Mario and Zack load the last of the supplies into the cargo bay of Knuckles and Tails' ship. Zack's ship is already inside, due to its small size. Ness and Tails go over the last minute preparations as Luigi continues to comfort the Princess. After several more minutes, Mario signals for them and everyone gathers. 

"It's time. Everybody ready?' 

"Yes," they say in unison. Ness stands back with Daisy as the others board the ship. After initiating the launch sequence, everyone buckles in. Moments later, they take off vertically and exit the atmosphere. As the distance between them and the planet increases, Luigi unbuckles his seat belt and floats over to one of the windows. 

"Good bye my love. I promise to return."  


END OF EPISODE THREE  


The tension mounts. Don't lie, it's getting good, isn't it. If you like the story so far, read on. If not, go to hell. (I mean that in the nicest way possible :) )  


PREVIEW OF NEXT EPISODE 

Toad arrives on the the home planet of the Clay Fighters and meets up with an old aquaitance. Elsewhere, Shadow and Samus end up fighting for their lives when a misunderstanding turns violent. 


	4. Unexpected Encounters

This is probably the shortest chapter in the story, but still pretty good in my opinion.  


Unexpected Encounters

Samus glances up from her glass. The nanomachines within her helmet begin scanning the bar for familiar energy signatures. Finding none, Samus sighs and snatches up her drink. Swirling the amber colored liquid around a few times, she downs the contents quickly. Closing her mouth piece, she pushes away from the bar and exits the building. 

Unbeknownst to her, one of the six or so patrons present at the time cracks a smile. 

"The legendary bounty hunter. This should be quite fun." Slamming back his shot of burbon, he puts his hand over his head, leans back and lets out a rumbling laugh that unnerves the other occupants of the bar. 

"Are you certain master?" James looks up from his meal of rice and bell pepper. 

"Of course. This is why you've been trained in such arts." The elderly man rises slowly to his feet. Popping his neck, he quickly cups his hands and draws them to his side. "Block it," he says calmly, collecting energy within his palm. The dark energy forms into a sphere. Thrusting his hands forward, the energy flies forwad. Shadow, without dropping his bowl, backhands the blast away. In the distance it impacts with the ground, sending shockwaves with enough force to uproot a nearby tree. 

"Any more questions?" Shadow shakes his head and James smiles. 

Samus removes her armor and stows it beneath the queen sized bed of her hotel room. Exhausted from her extensive thirty six hour search for leads on the shadow warriors she fought as soon as she had landed here, she plops down on her bed. Clad only in her underwear, she does not even bother pulling the covers up. 

"You should be more careful Miss Samus," calls out a voice. Quickly, Samus rolls off of the bed and shoves her arm under the bed where she can grab hold of her plasma rifle attachment. 

"That won't be necessary. Beside I don't think it would even be effective. I'm just here to issue you a simple message. My employer wishes for you to stay out of his affairs. Imagine that your assailants do not exist. Whatever eases your curiousity. If not, then next time we meet, it will be no where as pleasant as this encounter." Smiling, the man dressed in a full length hunter green trenchcoat turns his back on her and exits through the front door. Samus, still clinging to her weapon, scrunches up her nose. 

"As if you could stop me." 

Shadow, with the aid of a space ship on loan by Drago Corporations, travels silently through the vast void of space. His destination, Sine 8, a small planet that for the most part serves as an intergalacitic rest stop. The automatic navigation program pilots the craft flawlessly, allowing for Shadow to meditate on the current dilemna afflicting the three powers. 

Samus, attired in a pair of red slacks, white t-shirt and red vest, slides a pair of pumps over her feet. Looking outside her window, the faintest hint of sunlight catches her attention. Being the hunter that she is, her plan involved her leaving before morning's first light. But this time was as good as any. Reaching into her vest pockets, she practices sliding her fingers through the grooves of her power knuckles. The brass knuckle like apparatuses allowed for six charged particle blasts each and were inconspicously small, allowing them to be carried in a pocket as she now does. Content with her reaction time, she runs a comb through her hair a few times and lets it fall about her ears. Stepping out, she flicks the light off and locks the door. 

Shadow's eyes open as the mechanical hiss of the cockpits door signifies that he has arrived. The door slides to the side allowing Shadow access to the cabin where the main doors are located. Stepping off of the foot or so high ledge, he marvels at how temperate the weather feels despite the intense amount of sunlight currently blinding him. Taking a few steps forward, he stops abruptly and turns to his left. 

"Blinx," he murmurs. 

"One and the same," the animoporphic mammal responds. Suddenly, Blinx is upon Shadow, hammering blow after blow upon the skilled fighter. However, few of them even make contact with Shadow's blocking forearms, let alone any other body part. 

"Okay, guess we'll have to get creative then." Blinx begins moving incredibly fast, blurring in and out of Shadow's vision. Soon, Shadow cannot even see the blur. _His speed is amazing. I can detect he is here, but Where._ Suddenly, Shadow is doubled over with a kick to the midsection. A punch to the jaw turns his head and causes him to skid back a few inches. Shadow attempts to retalitate, but his strikes, no matter how quickly he throws them, seem to slow down just before reaching their target. Moments before impact, Blinx not only avoids the punch or kick, he sidesteps it, looks at it, does a little dance, moves back in front of the attack, and avoids it with a quick jerk of the neck. _Impossible!_ Shadow's mind screams just before he blocks high and winds up with the effect of four punches to his stomach. Staggering back, he blinks back the white spots begining to cloud his vision. 

"I could do this all day. Matter of fact, let's have a replay of that." Suddenly, Shadow finds himself flat on his back. Just as Blinx had told him, the entire scene was replayed. But unlike a video being rewound and sped back up, he feels all of the hits for the second time. 

"Let's make it a trifecta." Once again, the scene replays, and Shadow has a difficult time clinging to consciousness at its culmination. 

An hour has passed and Samus is no closer to finding her mysterious visitor. All the bars in the area she had been in the previous night were deserted, many of which closed until later that night. Taking a seat on a bench, she fishes out her pocket computer and downloads files from UWW.Bounty.com and combs through them in an attempt to discover the identity of the man. The cursor stops on one profile, but not that of the one she desires. Moments from closing it, she stops. 

"Maybe I need a little hunt to sharpen the skills." The file details the crimes and bounty on Blinx, as well as his extraordinary gift over time itself. It also states that he is in this area of the galaxy, the bit of info that stopped her from ignoring the file. Shoving the computer back into her pocket, she runs the entire distance back to her hotel room. 

Blinx grabs Shadow by the hair and stares into his eyes. 

"And the big man said this one would be difficult." Underestimating the reserves of the mysterious fighter, he is caught off guard with a quick punch to the throat. Grasping his injured throat, he find his body falling to the ground as a side kick to the chin lifts him an inch or so from the soil. Unrelentless, Shadow dashes forward. 

"Shadow!" he yells, black energy crackling around his clenched fist. Blinx, his chin bruised, notices the build up and focuses his energies on avoiding the attack. "Strike!" yells the fighter as he drives his fist towards the fallen creature. An explosion proceeded by an immense dust cloud rocks the entire area around them. _Thought I had him there,_ Shadow admonishes himself, wrenching his fist from the wrist deep hole he caused within the deeper crevice created by the explosion. As the dust clears, he looks up from his four foot hole fissure. Standing just inches away is Blinx. 

"Perhaps this won't be as easy as I thought." As the words leave his mouth, he feels an intense, searing pain in his lower back. Falling forward, he smashes his faces into the hardened soil of the battlefield. Writhing in pain, he lets out a tortured scream as pain burns away all rational thought. 

Shadow looks up and finds Samus, arm cannon still leveled and smoking. 

"What a waste of talent," she remarks, lowering the weapon and advancing towards the two of them. She turns Blinx over and finds his temples dilated. "He'll live. But I'm taking him in for the bounty." 

"As you wish Miss Samus." 

"Why does everyone keep calling me that? I'm just Samus. I don't like titles." 

"My apologies." He bows to her. "I have come in search of you." She levels her weapon at him. "Did I say something to offend you?" 

"Why are you searching for me?" 

"Because, you may hold the key to stopping whatever is threatening the three powers." 

"I'm listening." 

End of Episode Four 

PREVIEW OF NEXT EPISODE 

Sonic makes a recovery, but something is not quite right with the sapphire hued hero. Especially when he attacks Tails. 


	5. Brother vs Brother

Brother vs Brother

  


Sonya holds her brother's hand as he clings to life. Removing the wash cloth from his forehead, she walks over to the sink and runs water over it. As she rings out the excess water, she takes a look into the mirror and half smiles at her appearance. Her hair is a mess and her eyes red from her constant vigilance. 

After placing the dampened cloth back on his head, she sits back down. As she reaches over the arm for her Glamour Girl Magazine, she hears voices in the hallway outside the door. Getting up, she catches the end of the conversation. 

"I don't care! This is much more important than any meeting." 

"Forgive me your highness, I sometimes forget how you feel about him." _ Highness,_ Sonya questions, then flings open the door to find Princess Sally and her top advisor Antoine standing in the hallway. Throwing her arms around her good friend, she catches Sally off guard. Sally recovers and returns the embrace. Antoine nods cordially. 

"So how's he doing?" Sally inquires, following Sonya into the room. 

"Not very good. The doctor says he doesn't have much time before the parasite kills him." 

"My poor spikey headed hero," Sally comments just above a whisper as she walks over to his bedside. Sally leans over and kisses him on the cheek. Suddenly, Sonic opens an eye, cracks a small smile and whispers just loud enough for Sally to hear him. 

"I knew you'd come around eventually." And just as quickly as the glimmer of his personality had come, it diminishes. Sally sighs. 

"You look aweful," she tells Sonya jokingly. "Why don't you go home, shower and get something eat. I'll sit with Sonic until you return." 

"Thanks Sally. I haven't really left his side since Tails and Knuckles left over two days ago." 

"Did someone mention my name?" questions a familiar voice in the door way. The two females and Antoine turn to see the origin of the voice. With his trademark devilish grin, Knuckles disappears and reappears right next to Antoine, who as expected, jumps back. 

"Did you get it?" Sonya blurts out. "I mean you wouldn't be back if you didn't would you? Answer me!" She grabs him by the collar of his flight suit, which he has yet to remove. 

"Calm down beautiful. We got it." He directs his attention to Sally. "And speaking of beautiful, how are you doing your highness?" He performs an exaggerated bow. She gives him a half cocked smile just as Doctor Toad returns carrying a tray of medical implements. Trailing behind him are four others. She instantly recognizes Tails and Mario. It takes a little imagination to remember Luigi, who had as much facial hair as his older brother the last time she saw him. The fourth member of the party resembles Cloud, but she can tell he is not he. 

"Okay people, I have an operation to perform and I must ask that all of you vacate the vicinity." No one objects and soon the room is empty save the doctor and his patient. After injecting Sonic with a heavy sedative, Dr. Toad retrieves a small metal device that resembles a pen. Clicking the small button on the bottom, a beam of light begins to shine as the beam changes colors from red, to yellow and finally blue, he proceeds to slice through Sonic's flesh, through the muscle, and the other tissues. Pausing, he watches as small wisps of smoke disipate, then he continues until he cuts through his sternum and ribs. Picking up another implement, he seperates the hedgehog's rib cage and places the star inside. Closing him back up, he sprays a foamy adhesive into and around the incisions. 

"Now we wait." 

In the lobby, the seven of them wait patiently. Two hours had passed since the surgery. In that time, Zachary(Sally knew he had to be Cloud's son) and the others had detailed what had happened to them. Sally is now thinking that perhaps this revelation ties into Sonic's ailment. Perhaps someone purposely infected him. According to Dr. Toad, the parasite cannot exist on Mobius unless it infects someone within two weeks. 

"That's it!" Sally exclaims, succeeding in startling everyone in attendance. 

"What's 'it'," Tails inquires, hovering over to her. 

"What happened to Sonic was intentional." 

"How can you be so certain?" Knuckles asks, also hovering towards her. 

"Remember what the doctor said? Sonic would have had to contracted the parasite two weeks ago. It makes perfect sense. Two weeks ago, he left on that mission that turned out to be, and I hate using this cliche, a wild goose chase." 

"Your theory does fit into a theory of mine," adds Zack. Replacing his sword into its sheathe, he lends insight to the group. "I believe someone is systematically attempting to destroy the three powers by taking out their most prominent personalities. First Sonic falls to this parasite and then the Mario Brothers are attacked by some shadow puppet entities. That only leaves Sony." Before further assessments can be explored, Dr. Toad bursts into the waiting room. 

"Sonic has stopped breathing." Looks of shock adorn everyone's faces, including Zack's, whose face usually only shows pleasure or hatred. They rush into the room to find Sonic lying motionless in his bed. The instruments indicate that he is in very critical condition and worsening. 

"Sonic, don't give up!" Sally yells, choking back tears.  


"Sally?" Sonic inquires, listening to the distant cries of his friend. No much more than a friend. His life long partner. He attempts to adjust his eyes to the inky blackness encompassing him. Suddenly, he hears the sound of splashing not too far from him. It is then he notices that he is submerged up to his ankles in a viscious liquid substance. Suddenly, a dark glow (which is the best description of it) appears and a figure clad in all black stands before him. 

"Sonic, you have been chosen to further my cause." 

"Who are you? What do you want?" 

"My name is irrelevant at this point. However, I want you to join me in destroying the three powers." 

"You're out of your mind! I won't help you." Sonic strikes a fighting pose. 

"Do not prepare for a battle that you cannot possibly win." Waving his hand in front of him, a gust of wind pushes Sonic back a few inches. Gritting his teeth Sonic keeps from moving any further, even as the wind picks up in force. 

"Bow down to my power!" the figure yells. 

"Never!" Sonic retaliates, spin dashing through the wind and striking the figure full in the chest. The figure does not budge an inch. Sonic sommersaults out of the spin dash and holds his head. _What the hell is he made out of?_

"My turn," he states with a sinister smile on his face, leveling one hand, palm out directly aligned with Sonic's upperbody. A blast, much faster than anything Sonic had ever encountered (he himself can move at twice the speed of light, ten if he flies in his Super Hyper mode), flies from the figure's hand. Sonic screams in pain as it feels as if his entire body is being boiled. After several excrutiating moments that seem like hours, Sonic falls face first into the liquid, much of it having been boiled away from the heat of the blast. 

"You miserable maggot. I told you, you will bow to me." 

"Never," Sonic answers weakly, before his head falls back into the liquid. 

"You will." The figure lifts Sonic from the liquid and carries him away. 

Sonic sits up gasping for air, causing everyone around him to jump back in surprise. 

"Sonic!" they exclaim in unison. Sonic looks around, attempting to determine whether or not what just transpired was real or not. The sensation of drowning felt quite real a few moments ago. 

"How are you feeling? Are you okay?" The questions hit him from all directions. Just as he begins to decipher enough of the questions to answer one, Dr. Toad excuses the others and tells them to let Sonic rest. After they are outside, Sonic asks the doctor what happened. Dr. Toad takes a seat and entails the story of the past few days.  


Several minutes after he had awakened, Sonic exists the room. Miraculously, his body had convalesced to the point he could leave now. All he has to do is take it easy for the next three or so days. 

"Nice to see you two again," Sonic addresses the Mario Brothers. 

"Nice to see you feeling better," Mario tells him, extending a hand. The two shake and Luigi steps in between them. He hugs them both tightly to himself. 

"Now, now guys. Sonic's just been through one hell of an ordeal. There's no shame in showing a little emotion." Luigi kisses his brother on the top of his head. 

"Speaking of a little emotion," Sonic says, turning his eyes towards Sally. "Was a certain princess worried about a certain blue hedgehog?" Sally says nothing and simply walks up to him and kisses him lightly on the lips. 

"I need to almost die more often," Sonic says. 

"You do, and I'll kill you personally," Knuckles says with a little smile. 

"I thought you guys were over that little "I'm the only one who can kill you" bit," Tails adds, hugging Sonic until he winces in pain. "Sorry." 

"It's okay, Miles," Sonic says with laugh, rubbing the fox's head. 

"Don't call me that!" he giggles. Luigi releases Mario and Sonic and heads over to Zack. 

"What's up?" he inquires. 

"What do we do now?" Mario looks up. 

"We go pay your folks a visit. Tails, you stay here with Sonic in case something happens here. The rest of us will go on to the SquareSoft System. We'll inform you on anything that happens." Mario finishes his speech and the others begin getting ready.  


Mario wakes suddenly, his head throbbing in pain. _Damn these headaches,_ he tells himself, sitting up in the bed. Prying open the pill bottle, he pops two of the pills into his mouth. Swallowing, he wonders why the headaches are getting more severe. Next to him in the other twin sized bed, Luigi snores softly. 

"Wish I could sleep like that," he says to himself, rolling out of the bed. Reaching into the small closet of their room, Mario pulls out his spandex shorts and a red muscle shirt. Pulling on his boots, he exits the room and walks towards the ship's gym. Walking along the corridor, he peers into the depths of space. The group had already been in space for two days. 

Mario places his hand on the console to the left of the door. The door hums to life and opens with a small hissing sound. Inside, Zack is suspended by his ankles from the ceiling, performing sit-ups. 

"You couldn't sleep either, eh buddy?" he inquires, lying down on one of the benches. He grips the bar above him and lifts it from the rack. 

"Nope," he answers, performing one last sit-up. Holding his position, he unlocks his ankles and falls to the ground, catching himself at the last moment and landing in a hand stand. Zack walks over to one of the punching dummies and begins unloading several powerful jabs to its jaw, rocking its head back with each punch. Mario pushes the weight off his chest fifteen times, pauses, adds more weight, and resumes pressing the weight. Neither speak as they work off their nervous energies. Before long, the others join them for their morning workout. 

"Let's spar," Luigi tells his older brother. 

"Give me a few minutes. Why don't you and Knuckles spar for a while." 

Knuckles suddenly appears in front of Luigi. "You know you'll never hit me." 

"That's what you think," Luigi says with a smile. Suddenly, he disappears and reappears behind Knuckles, who is expecting him and blocks the hook kick. Knuckles swings his leg in an arc, connecting with Luigi's shoulder. The rest of the group watch as Luigi uses the momentum to perform a spin kick that sends Knuckles skidding across the room. Luigi chases him as he continues sliding towards the wall. At the last moment, Knuckles rolls onto his back and pushes his feet off the wall. Luigi is caught full in the chest with a spin dash. He is sent flying off the mats and into a pile of discarded dummy arms. Knuckles chuckles to himself and walks over to the pile. Oddly enough, he cannot locate Luigi. Out the corner of his eye, he sees Luigi sliding towards him. Jumping over him, he avoids the sliding kick attack, but not the ensuing uppercut. Catching Knuckles under his jaw, Luigi sends him flying through the air. Knuckles rebounds at the last moment and lands on a hand and a knee. Luigi wipes the small amount of blood dotting his lower lip. Knuckles watches as the man smiles and beckons him forward. Knuckles disappears and reappears behind Luigi, who attempts to hit him with a back elbow. Suddenly, Knuckles is not there. Looking up, he sees the bottom of Knuckles' shoe. Luigi crashes into the mat and Knuckles sommersaults off his face. Luigi holds his nose and flips back onto his feet. 

"You're pretty good," Luigi tells him, striking a pose. "I'm liking this alot." Luigi dashes forward and both of the combatants disappear. Mario is able to follow the action, but Zack cannot. 

"Where are they?" he inquires. 

"Right there," Mario points in the direction of the door then traces his finger along their path. 

"You can see them?" 

"Yep, Knuckles is giving Luigi a handicap. Knuckles is only using maybe an eighth of his full speed. Luigi is using close to half." 

"How does anyone get that fast?" Zack questions, following Mario's finger and listening for the sound of the impact of their blows. 

"Well on Mobius, many of the natives are born naturally fast. Hedgehogs, Echidnas, and Foxes are naturally the fastest creatures on their planet." For a few seconds, Luigi and Knuckles are visible to Zack's eyes, panting and smiling. Mario waits for them to resume before he continues. "Something occurred during their births that made them faster than normal. Something about legendary defenders or something. Anyway, before Sonic, the fastest speed clocked for a living thing in the universe was ten percent the speed of light, which Luigi and I have been capable of for a few years now." Just then Luigi crashes into the mat and stays there for a few seconds. "Luigi and I have been training our bodies for so long that we are faster than most. In fact, that I know of, only those three are faster than us." Knuckles helps Luigi to his feet. 

"I'll get you next time," he tells the crimsom fighter. 

"You keep improving like you have, and you just might." 

"Sonic, what the hell are you doing!" yells Sonya from the small hill. Sonic looks up from his push ups and smiles. 

"What does it look like?" 

"Like you want to take another trip to the hospital. And Tails, you're encouraging him." 

"Don't go blaming the kid. It was my decision to come out here. He tried to stop me, saw it was pointless and decided to keep an eye on me." As this is going on, Tails is holding his head, trying to determine what had caused him to trip as he did. Sonya throws up her arms in exasparation and leaves. 

_So Sonic,_ the voice of the figure from the incident in the hospital begins, _Ready to finish what you started?_

"I will not hurt my friend!" he yells, grabbing his sides as they explode in pain. _You will obey me!_ Suddenly, Sonic's pupils disappear and he begins stalking towards Tails. Tails looks up. 

"Sonic, are you okay?" 

"Yes Tails, I'm quite fine." His lips curl into a sinister smile and Tails takes a precatutionary step backwards. "What's wrong Tails, are you scared of me?" He rushes forward and buries his knee into the stunned fox's lower abdomen. A mixture of blood and saliva is expelled from his mouth as his stomach muscles wrap around the knee. Sonic follows up with a right cross to the jaw, sending Tails sprawling into the grass. Sonic stalks his victim as Tails pushes himself to his hands and knees. Coughing, he takes off into the air just in time that Sonic's leg only grazes him. Before Sonic's leg is finished hitting the ground, he is already in the air. Tails uses this to his advantage since Sonic cannot fly. But soon, it matters very little. Sonic's super jump and hangtime allow him to hit Tails with enough blows before he hits the ground, that Tails is forced to land. Panting heavily he watches as Sonic spreads his feet just beyond shoulder width. 

"That cannot be good," he says between gasps of air. Sonic bends his knees slightly and his body begins vibrating. He then begins laughing maniacally as the veins in his forehead and muscles begin to bulge. 

"Oh shit!" Tails cires, striking a similar pose. Sonic begins glowing a bright gold as does Tails. Simultaneously, they both let out a yell and their furs take on the familiar gold of their Super Forms. 

"Why are we doing this Sonic?" he asks, avoiding as many punches as possible. 

"Because all that do not bow to the new order must be eliminated." _That's not Sonic's voice,_ Tails thinks, as he grabs Sonic leg and slams him into a tree. The tree cracks down its trunk and it buys Tails all of two seconds of thinking time. Taking off into the air, he uses his full speed and puts as much distance between him and his possessed friend as possible.  


The splintered bark burst into flames from the energy radiating from Sonic. Enraged, he lets out a yell and shockwaves sweep the dark green vegetation around him for yards from existence. Crouching into a three point stance, he propels himself forward at full speed. 

Moments later he stops. In the brief period, his speed had allowed him to circle the planet at least one hundred times at different angles. Had he been thinking clearly, he might have relied on his uncanny ability to sesne Tail's whereabouts. 

"Having a bad day there tough guy?" inquires a voice behind him. Whirling around, Sonic eyes the owner of the voice. "Not quite sure what brought about the change, and believe me, I love the new you, but there's only room on this planet for one dark hedgehog. And I do enjoy my job." Shadow, Sonic's not very, but evil nonetheless, doppleganger, blurs from view.  


Bruised and battered, Tails is barely conscious as pain ravages his body. Never before in his wildest dreams or most harrowing adventures had he ever experienced this type of agony. And of all people to bestow such a beating upon him, the person he loved with all his heart was responsible for it. Panting heavily, he allows SOnya to tend to his wounds. 

"And Sonic did this to you?" 

"Yes. He began talking in this strange otherworldly voice then attacked me." 

"Do you know where he is now?" 

"No." 

"Well I do," Sally interjects, grabbing both of their attentions. "Come check out the t.v." 

The trio watch as the female Oppossum reporter informs the viewing audience of the situation. 

"Moments ago, these two rivals began a brawl that surely may tear apart many cities if not contained. The amount of power being used during this fight has been described as hundreds of warheads going off simulatenously. Currently, two of the larger metropolitan areas have been completely annihilated." 

"This is terrible!" Sonya exclaims. Sally nods solemnly. 

"Where are you going Tails?" inquires Sally as she catches a glimpse of him moving towards the door. 

"To stop SOnic." Before either female can voice a protest, he disappears into the dimming sunlight. 

"I pray that they both make it through this," Sally says softly. 

End of Episode Five 

PREVIEW OF NEXT EPISODE 

Shadow convices Samus to accompany him to Hyrule to recruit Link. However, Link is missing and another potential ally arrives on the scene. 


End file.
